4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Baxter]

Hello all,

I'm new to this site, and it looks very good too.

 

Now i suppose this question has been aske many a time, but i will be moving back to my

house in the country and i have brought a chicken house with run to house 6 chickens.

 

Many years ago i kept mainly Bantams and they were free range in an orchid. This time round im limited, i have a 70ft X 50FT garden.

 

What are the best breeds for egg production?

 

What do you all keep as "The egg layers" so too speak.

 

I want to pick the right breed and enjoy having them in my garden.

 

Thank You.

[saracook31]

If you go to a breeder they'll probably have some hybrids which are bred for laying well.

 

They come in all different colours, I've got bluebelles which are grey, white and the old fashioned brown ex batt hens which are guaranteed to be good layers.

 

I've also had good Light Sussex layers and Araucana (which I can never spell!) she laid most days and the shells were a grey/blue... both nice characters as well.

 

Only had chickens a year myself but hope this helps!

 

Sara

[Olly]

Omlet's Gingernuts and Pepperpots are fairly standard hybrids (available from breeders under other names, but usually RIR X with Sussex or similar) and they're bred to lay regularly. Most breeders will give an indication of the number of eggs you can expect to get per year from a specific breed.

[moochoo]

You can't go wrong with your standard ginger chicken. They're a Rhode Island Red cross and are known for their amazing egg production, hence their use in the intensive egg industry.

As others have said any hybrid hen will lay well for you. It just depends how many eggs you'll need. Certainly in the first year a hybrid will lay 5-6 eggs per week.

[Baxter]

Thats great, thanks for you replies, i read that leghorns, Marans, welsumers, and black rock are all good layers, and that the leghorn can be a little awkward amongst other hens?

 

Moochoo, your chickens, are they X's?

[saracook31]

I've heard black rock are great layers too.

I had Marans for a while, they barely laid, but were getting on a bit.

No experience with the others but think I've heard leghorns are a bit flightly, so depends if you're looking for good "pets" as well as layers...

[Baxter]

I've heard black rock are great layers too.

I had Marans for a while, they barely laid, but were getting on a bit.

No experience with the others but think I've heard leghorns are a bit flightly, so depends if you're looking for good "pets" as well as layers...

 

With the utility breeds i dont really now their temprements.

 

I would like a good layer, something that looks nice too, and not a scatty bird!

[saracook31]

bluebelles and light sussex are beautiful in my opinion!

 

they'd brighten up the garden/run..

[sparkysmum]

Hi, Do please give ex batts a chance. We've had or ladies a year now and other than when stresed they lay almost every day. Lovely, feisty characters. Wouldn't be without them. Do pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease think about giving them a nice retirement home

[Busybird]

We got 3 gingernut rangers (little brown hybrid hens) at POL from Omlet. They laid an egg each just about every day for 14 months. They are friendly, daft, adorable and so easy to look after.

 

In April one of them stopped laying regularly. She now gives us a very occasional egg and lays a few softies each week. She generally seems happy enough in herself but is no longer doing the job we got her for (laying eggs). I expected them all to lay regularly for the first couple of years. The other 2 are still fine so far.

 

We didn't get ex batts as we knew nothing about keeping hens. With the little experience we now have I would consider getting a couple when we need to source 'replacements'. I believe that they will still lay regularly and there is the added bonus of giving them the experience of freedom after their awful start in life.

 

Personally I would not consider bantams (eggs are too small) or pure breeds (look fantastic and love the blue / green / white eggs but they don't lay all year round) as I keep hens for their eggs.

 

However, I am now supporting a non laying hen. As our hens are also my children's pets I cannot yet 'replace' her. You just need to decide yourself if you are looking for a pet with the added bonus of eggs or an egg producer who happens to be an amusing and rewarding addition to your garden. If the egg production is paramount then hybrids do a great job but, it seems, for a limited length of time.

[Olly]

Very well put, Busybird! My Gingernuts are now two and a bit years old, and both have stopped laying regularly. One lays softies, the other lays about twice a week. It's a bit frustrating, but luckily I have two other laying hens and I'm resigned to the fact that they are going to live out their retirement with me.

 

Once you've had a hen for two years or more, laughed at her, watched her in your garden, and generally ascribed a personality to her, it's quite difficult to take a pragmatic approach! I don't have a problem with people who feel that their hens have to earn their keep, but I couldn't take that step myself. I think you need to decide, as Busybird says, whether you're going to view them as egg-producers or pets, and adopt the appropriate policy.

[meezers]

I agree with Busybird that hybrids will lay you lots of eggs, but can 'burn out' quickly, I've had my 4 hybrids 15 months now, they all laid well last year, except for the speckledy who went broody and then had a moult - no eggs from her for about 8 weeks Now my Bluebelle has stopped laying- nothing off her for about 3 months now, no apparent reason

On the other hand ,I got my Rhode Island Red and Light Sussex at the same time, they did slow down a bit over winter, but are 2 of my most reliable layers.

Out of my new chooks, the orpington is a very regular layer- considering she hasn't long started- about 5 smallish eggs a week from her, more than I expected and the Australorp is about the same, infact an Australorp held the world record for egg production -something like 364 eggs in a year from one bird

[moochoo]

Hi yes all my girls are hybrids. I've got 2 gingernut rangers (my original Omlet girls), 5 Merrydale Sweeties, 1 bluebelle, 1 pied suffolk, 2 sylines, 1 copper black and 1 light sussex.

They are various ages from 1 to 3 years old and are all still laying. They've been super hens and all have really nice personalities. I can really recommend hybrids as your first hens.

[Baxter]

Thank you for your replies, it has been very helpful.

 

I have decided to go for hybrids, it seems that you get the best from both worlds, looks and regular eggs.

 

I will now need to decide which hybrid to go for.

[WarrensWorld]

Warrens, we're biased, 300 + eggs per year. If you save some ex-batts they're probably Warrens so you'll kill two birds with one stone.......I'll see myself out .....

 

They are now called ISA Browns.....

[wombatally]

My marans lays daily and has a lovely temperament, she's really friendly. I also have a marans x - Speckledy and she too is a great layer, lovely brown eggs (she eats a lot though!!).

 

I got my hybrids 18 months ago and they have started to slow down and the pure breeds are laying more (they're younger). Some pure breeds continue laying through the winter (faverolles I think).

 

In my experience from before, when I had them as a child, the pure breeds (light sussex, rir etc) laid almost as many as the hybrids but seemed to lay much later in life.

 

Alison

[Snowy]

If you go for hybrids, you could get a variety. I have pied suffolks; a black rock (Miss Pepperpot - still laying daily at 4 1/2 years old!), amber stars and the stanndard gingernut chicken - all lovely personalities and fantastic layers.

[Hen Watch]

I have a mixed view on this one.

 

My 4 hybrid hens are 2 and a half now. Initially all 4 produced an egg practically every day for 2 years and I was swimming with eggs. Now 2 have stopped laying (probably burnt out) and I only get 1 or 2 a day now.

 

So my hybrids were great as a beginners intro into chicken keeping as they are hardy, friendly, vacinated, lay well etc and I am glad I had them as a start to chicken keeping. However, next time around I would get pure breeds that have a rest over winter and possibly lay for longer.

[chickencam]

I had a White Star who laid an egg nearly every day for 18 months, but then she had a prolapse with growths on it and the vet said that she had worn herself out and we had to have her put to sleep. She was a very nervy and flighty girl and I am not sure what she got out of life really. My others 2 Omlet Pepperpots and a Light Sussex are all good layers 5 eggs or so a week each but they are much more relaxed and happy.

 

The white star eggs were lovely, they were pure white but she did have a tendency towards softies and by the end the eggs were very thin shelled.

[hilda-and-evadne]

that the leghorn can be a little awkward amongst other hens?

 

My leghorn hates being picked up and is much more hyperactive than the other three.

[Steph101]

See the chickens I've got (gingernut rangers, black rocks, white stars) all hybrids and ALL lay virtually every day.